Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp

Last day to make a submission to stop the repeal of Section 7AA that will see our babies in state care, denied their right to be placed with whakapapa 🙅🏽

There is no evidence that this policy will have a better impact on Oranga Tamariki and particularly the lives of Māori babies.

There is no justification for this policy other than to continue to disenfranchise our babies from their Māori being.

Kia kaha, take 5 minutes from your lunch break today to make your voices heard‼️

Link to submission template in bio 📲

It’s been a huge week of kaupapa across the country but want to make a huge mihi to the Mātātoa 2024 team for putting on their second successful CrossFit comp in Tāmaki-Makaurau over the weekend 🏋️‍♂️

More than 200 of our fittest Māori from around the motu descended on Te Tōangaroa, Spark Arena, for the only kaupapa Māori run CrossFit event in the country.

A beautiful display of oranga in action (literally!!), of the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori and giving us only another kaupapa where we can display our true competitive and proud selves.

Ka nui te mihi Mātātoa!!

x Te Pāti Māori

‼️STOP THE REPEAL OF S7AA‼️

In 3 days on the 3rd of July, submissions close at 11:59pm for you to say “Keep your hands off our babies!” Making a submission ensures that our voices are heard, and therefore, our babies voices are heard✊🏽

We’ve made the process super easy to make a submission🙌🏾

Head to the link in bio to make a submission 🔗 It’ll only take a few minutes! Māmā noa iho💯And if you want to take it a step further, copy both links, put them in your bio and share on to your page👀

Read our template and make your submission e mara!💪🏽😤

Karawhiua!! .toa officially underway with the first WOD at Spark Arena, Tāmaki-Makaurau 🦍

Our team is down there set up doing free merch giveaways and enrolments 🚀

Heaps of awesome kaupapa this week, celebrating what it is to make us magic Māori 🖤

Applications close this Sunday to join our Tāmaki-Makaurau team as a Ringa Tautoko & Kairangahau. You'll be based with our Te Pāti Māori kaimahi in Wellington, but support the electorate office of Tāmaki Makaurau.

A wicked opportunity to reconnect and work for Tāmaki from Pōneke.

Think you're ready to contribute to the movement? Check out the link in the comments and apply now 🖤

Everything is for our mokopuna to come. There’s nothing like the love for your mokopuna it drives us to activate & rise up for an Aotearoa hou.

Making mokopuna decisions | E-Tangata “With just three days’ notice, thousands responded to the call of Toitū Te Tiriti, and they responded in the name of making good decisions for our mokopuna.” — Eru Kapa-Kingi.

Tāmaki Makaurau

5am Karakia to reopen the Marae. Auckland Council Funding allowed for much needed upgrades to ensure our Marae can withstand another 30years. A beautiful morning connecting with our Manurewa whānau.

Keen to join our awesome, proud to be Māori, energetic Wellington based team? I'm looking for someone to join my office in a split mahi as Kaitautoko and Kairangahau.

The kaimahi will have a passion for our movement, for our people and for our mokopuna. They'll have a wicked ahua, good at doing a bit of research and keen to get out in the community among whānau.

Keen or know anyone that would be a wicked fit or keen to find out more? Check out the link: https://www.seek.co.nz/job/76251136?type=standout&ref=search-standalone =1143970c7227bfccbb2de30a639b6a8e09b81dfc

Aue te mamae ❤️

Tērā Matariki huihui ana mai.
Ka ngaro rā te whetu kukume ata.
He aha ai i ngaro ai naku rā i whakahoro.

It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the passing of our pāpā, koko, Uncle and hoa, Winston Wikuki Waititi, who passed peacefully this morning.

Anei ngā whakaritenga.

Dad will lay at the Otamaroa homestead over night and whakaeke on to Kauaetangohia tomorrow 1 June at 8am, where he will lay in state until his nehu on Monday 3rd June.

Here are whakaeke times for Saturday and Sunday;

9am | 11am | 1pm | 3pm

The bell will ring at 11am on Monday following that, dad will then be laid to rest next to our mother at Te Kuaha urupā, Otamaroa.

‘Kei te ora Te Atua nānā nei i whakakahore te whakawā mōku, te whakawā tōku wairua. I ngā wā katoa e tā ai tōku manawa e mau ai te wairua o Te Atua i roto i ōku ponga ponga.’

Hui Taumata

From National Activation Day to Hui Taumata.

Mokopuna Decisions ❤️

Tāmaki Makaurau

Whitiki taua mai e te iwi! Locations and times for our rangatira revolution.

We are being attacked for being Māori. This is what the rangatira revolution is about.

Tāmaki Makaurau

Youth Week - “Nga rangatahi te take”

I want to mihi to the brave, bold & courageous rangatahi who allowed me into their space. I am forever grateful 🫶🏾

I had the privilege to spend the day with rangatahi from Manurewa Marae & Ma Te Huruhuru. I had the opportunity to hear what’s on their hearts . My job to listen!

What’s on top:
✊🏽Rangatahi Homelessness - Ma Te Huruhuru is the only rangatahi/taiohi housing project for those aged 18-25. The issue: There’s a time frame of how long they can stay in these whare. Once their time is up they have to leave. But here’s the thing, leave to go where? There’s a housing crisis! 100,000 people are homeless 60% are Māori. 33,000 are rangatahi & 11,000 are in Tāmaki Makaurau.

✊🏽Oranga Tamariki - A brave rangatahi shared his story of being under Oranga Tamariki & not being placed with whānau or his own whakapapa. He feels a sense of loss, disconnection, that something’s missing in his life. He asked why or what we were doing to ensure Māori tamariki are placed with whānau so they don’t feel like him 🫶🏾. This is why 7aa is pivotal to keep. Help us fight against this government & sign the TPM “Stop the repeal of 7aa OT Act”

✊🏽Mental Health , Ram Raids, Gangs, Māori solutions, Business Opportunities were also what’s on the hearts & minds of our rangatahi.

You are magic, You are powerful, You are rangatira!

Reflecting on an awesome weekend in Tāmaki at our regionals. A huge congratulations to all 55 teams headed to Te Matatini in Te Kahui Maunga next year ✊🏾

• A huge congratulations to all whānau representing Tāmaki 2025 🤎

Whakanuia! What an incredible first day at the Tāmaki regionals.

Being the rohe with the most Māori in the world, our kapa took us on a journey, of celebration of challenge and of pride in being Māori 🤎

It warms the heart when we’re together as a people, united in kotahitanga.

Looking forward to āpōpō, if you’re in Tāmaki get on down ✊🏾

Tāmaki Regionals 2024 🤎

We’re down at Spark Arena for this years Tāmaki Kapa Haka Regionals. Come on down for a Kai, check out our store and hang with whānau ✊🏾

Unemployment rates announced last week show whānau māori and tangata moana are feeling the brunt of it with the mass layoffs that are happening in the public sector and in challenging economic times that the govt promised to address.

They've done nothing but take from the poor and give to the already wealthy with $3bn in tax cuts, and are laying off close to 7,000 to find the pūtea to keep their other promises.

We need to redistribute wealth and create jobs, not get rid of them!!

Te Pāti Māori

Whītiki Tauā! Getting ready for a great day of haka & connecting with whānau.

First stop of the day for took us to Kiwi Kids Childcare Centre, Logan, Queensland where some of our Māori whānau ki Ahitereiria send their awesome tamariki! We sung waiata, talked about pepeha and what hononga to home looks like to them! We want to mihi to the awesome kaiako who support their connection to their identity whilst living overseas. Some of the main kaupapa the tamariki are learning about, are their tīpuna whose served in ANZAC, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Matariki. All the kids also mihi to this whenua of Yugambeh Country and the traditional owners of this whenua they call home too.

Proud to be Māori ki Ahitereiria ❤️🤍🖤

♥️♥️♥️

My Grief story - TW: Su***de

On Xmas eve just gone, my baby brother was taken by su***de and I’ve been a complete fkn right off since.

My soul has been taken from me, so much so that it renders me breathless. He means everything in the world to me and for a long time it was just him and I. I was his big sissy, his confidant, his parent, his protector, I moved mountains for him because that's what big sissy's do. But I couldn't save him from this disease that ravaged his mind, body and soul...even though I tried. We all tried. So hard. He tried. So hard.

I feel angry and sad and guilty and anxious and alone and responsible and completely paralysed and I also feel a sense of peace...for him. I can hear that punk giggling up a God damn storm with his tipuna and even that f**s me off but I find solace in knowing he is not suffering anymore. We have to carry that burden now. He found peace and we inherited a nightmare that will plague us for a life time.

Su***de, like a cancer slowly took a toll on my brother. A sort of entity and energy that took complete control of him in the end. I saw it...that entity. It made its presence known in his eyes and in his voice. I witnessed it come and go. I watched him fight it away only for it to sneak its way back into his mind, his heart and his wairua. I watched it grow so strong. Slowly but surely it took permanent residence in his soul. For years and years, he suffered. For years and years we suffered with him and I know the disease still made him feel alone the whole time, even though he wasn't.

My family and I are the strongest peeps I know and this has brought us to our knees. Our hearts are so broken. My heart is broken for my parents, for his babies, for me, for everyone who was in his life who will be questioning what they could have done differently. Every day I sob for him. For the turmoil he was going through, for him feeling so alone. I cry for the baby brother who would always reach out to me, who relied on me for protection. I cry because in the end, that disease took all of that away from us. It ruined one of the most important relationships I have ever had in my life, with one of the biggest loves of my life.

I cry for my parents, for the loss of the baby boy they cuddled and kissed, had dreams for and raised; for the memories, for the unimaginable pain and guilt they have inherited. For the questions that will remain unanswered.

I cry for my mum who carried him in her womb and took care of him in his final years, who cradled her baby boy in her arms in his lowest of lows. For hearing her cry and scream his name in her sleep. For feeling that her love wasn't enough to keep him here. For her unanswered daily prayers asking God to keep her baby boy here with us another day. For her loneliness. For her having to wake up in his home every morning to the reality that he is gone. My mum's heart is shattered into 1 million pieces. She will never be the same.

I cry for my dad who doted on his first born son, who took him everywhere with him. For the succession plan that will never be. For the time they spent traversing every nook and cranny of our whenua, teaching him about his whakapapa and about service for his whenua and whanau. I cry for my dad, who exhausted himself for years as he quietly cleaned up the carnage left by this disease...out of love for his baby boy, for the protection he fought so hard to provide, but wasn't enough. For watching the strongest man I know being brought to a stand still. He will never be the same.

I cry for his babies, who can't understand. Asking when their Papa is coming home, asking why he left and how they can visit him in heaven. For his son who is scared that he is already forgetting the sound of his Papas voice, already forgetting his memories. For when the time comes when they want to know more about what happened and how it happened. For the life they are forced to live without their Papa Bear.

And me...I wake up every morning feeling dread, wishing it was all a dream.

I have isolated myself because nobody understands unless they have walked this path. I don't go anywhere because the smallest things trigger me and I just cry. I don't go anywhere because of the social pressure to engage and be bubbly. I isolate because I don't want to pretend I'm ok. I've started wearing hats & caps everywhere so I don't have to look up at anyone. So I can hide my face if I cry. So I can just...hide.

I want to spend all my time with my mum and dad, my brother's babies and my siblings because they get it. Its easy with them. They feel the same as me. I can be a wreck and they get it. I feel normal with them and I just feel closer to my brother when I'm with them. And we all share in the same deep love we have for him. Its healing being with them.

I can't think straight...at all. Feels like I'm in a constant brain fog.
I become overwhelmed so easily and can't even manage to do the usual balancing act of the million things I'm used to juggling. It feels like everything in the world is dark. I don't have the motivation or desire to do anything and it takes a s**t load of self talk to get my ass out of the house for something. I feel vulnerable and I hate it.

The days I pop out of my home are for my whanau or for obligation, and it takes days to prepare mentally and emotionally. I can't work, or clean, or cook or even shower some days. I have been projecting onto my whanau. I get frustrated and irritated easy, I am hyper sensitive to any sort of drama and I can't handle if things get too crazy. I'm just flat...and vacant most of the time.

I've been coping by doing a mixture of things that I should and shouldn’t be doing; drinking way more alcohol than I should, reading the s**t out of moteatea books, kapahaka, sleeping, hiding from the world, whakapapa stuff, not eating well, following every su***de page on social media I can find, writing, mindless scrolling on social media, karakia, tv, spending time with my parents, going home. I know what I need to do more of and I know what I need to do less of and I will get there.

I have some good moments...and then I remember. Just when I think I've got through the worst of it, boom! I end up a -100 again. And that's OK. It's a natural part of the journey I suppose.

I am constantly grappling with separating my real brother from the brother that was taken over by the disease. It's a daily battle for me to draw those lines. My baby brother was gentle, fun and loving. He had a love for the outdoors, for our whenua, for fitness, for food, for God, for laughs, for making money, for quality, for his whanau. He had a soft heart. The disease made him hateful, vengeful, paranoid, aggressive and forced him into addiction.

Sometimes, in the depths of my grief, I cry for forgiveness. I beg for my brother to forgive me for failing him. I ruminate over our history, trying to make sense of a puzzle that we don’t have all the pieces for, that we will never have the pieces for.

I also feel so much pressure to move on...by everyone, including myself. (I'm projecting) The reality is that people can't cope with a messy Kiri because she's always the rock for everyone and so I often feel like I'm not afforded the permission to be a mess. Hell, Kiri cant even cope with a messy Kiri. So, I'm just taking upon myself regardless of how people feel about it to give myself the permission...to be a mess. And boy am I doing a job at it.

I know I have responsibilities and obligations. I know I have people and things depending on me which I have found difficult to uphold and then that makes me feel extra fkn guilty.

But at this point, I have nothing left to give...nothing. And I'm ok with that. And everyone has to be ok with that.

I am still in the thick of my grief and I'm letting it happen. I am refusing to avoid the torment. I am hitting it head on and I am a mess. And so I should be. I have forced myself into the depths of the darkness to grieve for my brother in every way. It's been ugly, scary and so incredibly painful . And so it should be.

I'm naturally an emotion avoider. A get up and move on, it is what is is sort of person but this has rocked me to my core and I know in my heart that if I pretend to carry on...it will come back and bite me right in the fkn arse.

I will move through it. My whanau and I will move through it when we are right and ready. We will do it on our own terms because we have to. We have no choice. There are a whole lot of little people that need us. Why am I telling you all this? Not really sure. Maybe its for me. But I didn't want to start posting up on my socials without addressing a really huge thing that's happened to me. It feels false to do that and not honour the harrowing f*kery of the situation I find myself in.

I didn't want to come out the other end of this and forget the rawness of this time l so I though f*k it, I'll write something while I'm a mess lol I'll probably look back at this post one day and cringe. But IDGAF.

I'm also telling you this because if this feels familiar in anyway for you, I want to normalise being in pain, feeling the pain and grieving loss and trauma. This whole world is false as f*k. We are rewarded for pretending. Everyone is pretending to be ok and most of us aren't. You don't have to pretend. Life is f*ked and it always makes sense that we feel what we feel. Don't let anyone force you to pretend when you are in the thick of your mamae.

Each of us have a lot of stuff to feel mamae about and if we don't allow ourselves to feel those feelings, they will sit in our tinana, hinengaro, wairua and ngakau and collect debt and surface in ugly ways.

If you're going through stuff, be kind and compassionate towards yourself. Give yourself grace to be a mess, to feel the feels but always do it with the intent of seeing the light again. We can do the hard things.

As I write this and read what I’m writing, I can see what I'm doing. I can see the irrational, untrue thoughts. I can hear the responses from people that love me. I can also see the things I need to do to move forward and I will get there. But I can also see how real all of this feels for me right now in this stage of my life. I am doing my own validating despite the societal pressure to move on and pretend that it doesnt hurt. So, for the moment I am choosing to consciously mourn the most violent trauma to my soul and the most violent death of one of the loves of my life. And I'm taking it minute by minute.

Who knows where this process will lead me but I know my life will never be the same, I will never be the same, my whanau will never be the same as we navigate a new normal. A new normal that will forever be plagued by this violent loss.

The last thing I'll say, to anyone even remotely contemplating ending their life. Stay! Please stay! I need you to know that those thoughts you are having do not belong to you. They belong to a disease that is trying to kill you. A disease that is lying to you. A disease that is telling you the world will be better off without you in it. A disease that is telling you that you wont be in anymore pain. It’s a lie.

In your moments of clarity, however few and far between they are, you need to dig as deep as you can to find the real you before the disease started to take you. You are needed. You are wanted and you are so incredibly loved. You are worthy of a life, of a future, of love. And ease up on the fkn drugs and alcohol...it isn’t your friend. It is also the disease trying to kill you! Stay! Please stay! Kiri x

Brisbane based Kapa Haka Roopu Whītiki Tauā! Making mokopuna decisions for an Aotearoa Hou.